A complete trekking adventure takes you to the best and longest trek trails to remote villages. This Sapa trek includes hiking up and down hill terrain following the routes twisting around Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Keep your feet through dense wood, you will encounter several ethnic villages of which Giay and Tay are the most. Each day is a true experience of adventure with about 20km trekking and ending with authentic homestay at local houses. The apparent hardships at the first stage are undeniably worth as you are going to encounter unique culture of local ethnics and enjoy breathtaking scenery of the most spectacular trekking trails of Vietnam.

Tour Highlights

Hiking up and down hills continuously under the shades of Hoang Lien Son range

Stunning terrace fields along

Untouched ethnic villages that life keeps unchanged for centuries

Authentic homestay at true local house

Brief Itinerary

Night 1: Overnight train to Lao Cai

Day 1: Drive to Sapa/Trek to Y linh Ho Village

Day 2: Trek to Giang Ta Chai Village

Day 3: Trek to Thanh Phu Village

Day 4: Trek to Sin Chai B Village

Day 5: Trek/drive back to Sapa. Overnight train back to Hanoi

Day 6: Arrive in Hanoi. Tour concludes

Night 1: Night train to Lao Cai

Our adventure typically starts with a night train travel from Hanoi Railway Station (B Gate - Tran Quy Cap Street). Before that, our guide and car will pick you up at your hotel or pick up point. You need to be at Railway station at least 45 minute prior to departure. Our train often leaves at 21:00 or 21:50. Your cabin is air conditioning, sharing, 4 berth by default but you can request us to upgrade to private charter. Overnight in AC soft sleeper cabin.

Summary:

Transfer hotel – railway station: 15 minutes

Accommodation: Soft sleeper in AC cabin

Day 1: Sapa – Sin Chai - Cat Cat - Y Linh Ho Village ~ 15km hiking

On arrival in the border town of Lao Cai, you will be met up by local guide for transfer to the former hill station of Sapa. In the terraced hills and mountains of this area, the monotony of the expansive green landscape is enlivened by the colors of its hill tribe population. Flashes of shining silver jewelry from the necks and wrists of indigo-clad Hmong and the scarlet hues of the turbans worn by the Red Dao can be seen.

After breakfast, you will be transferred downhill to Sin Chai village of Black H'mong minority, which locates right at the foot of Hoang Lien mountain range. Here you start heading up the mountain. Once you get to the top, you will trek on a small trail with spectacular view and then gradually descend to Cat Cat village, where you will have lunch nearby a waterfall.

In the afternoon, you take a trail snaking through mountain. You also will enjoy stunning scenery while walking along a narrow river. Eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho, a village of Black H'mong minority, where you can take a rest in a nice spot nearby the beautiful river. You will stay overnight in a local family of Black H’mong here.

Today’s trek will continue along Hoang Lien mountain range where Fansipan is the highest peak, which offers you opportunities to enjoy views over huge paddy terraces in Muong Hoa valley, the largest one in the area.

You will be passing through Lao Chai village of Black H'mong minority then Ta Van village of Giay people by following a most favorite trekking route. Here you enjoy resting and tasting a delicious lunch prepared by your guide in a local house.

Our lunch is following with the walk through a bamboo forest to Giang Ta Chai, a Red Dao ethnic village. Set off and we spend the night in a local house here. Dinner and overnight at Giang Ta Chai.

Summary:

Trekking: 20 km – Challenging grade

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Day 3: Giang Ta Chai - Thanh Kim - Thanh Phu Village ~ 23km hiking

Get up early to enjoy and witness interesting activities of locals for their regular mornings. Today we will hike to Thanh Kim Thanh Phu area. Get a full breakfast then we start our trek through the rice terraces to the village of Su Pan. Our guide can brief about how the locals make their livings and seasons of farming rice on terraces.

Continue to Thanh Kim for lunch. Keep our feet moving along a narrow valley downhill for 2 hours to the Ngoi Bo River, then uphill for one more hour to Muong Bo village. We have just arrived at the center of Thanh Phu Commune - a village of Tay minority. Dinner and overnight stay at a wooden local stilted house.

Breakfast and leave Thanh Phu at about 08.00 am. Today’s adventure will take us through a number of small ethnic minority villages (including Red Dao, Tay, Xafo and Black H’mong). This portion of the trek offers a stunning view of Nam Sai and Nam Cang Valleys as well as chances to understand the life of tribal peoples in a remote land.

We will see people from the local communities carrying out their daily activities as it is in the northern highlands. Our trek will take us to our homestay for tonight in a bamboo hut in Sin Chai B village of Red Dao minority. Having a short rest and enjoy an easy walk to explore this charming and quiet village.

Summary:

Trekking: 20 km – Challenging grade

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Homestay

Day 5: Sin Chai B - Thanh Phu - Sapa ~ 13km hiking

Today we are going down along the hill trails to Nam Cum Village then continue to Muong Bo Village for lunch. In early afternoon we head to Thanh Phu Bridge where we meet our bus and take a beautiful drive back to Sapa. Upon arrive in Sapa we take shower and spend the rest of the day exploring Sapa town. 5.30 pm we will be transferred to Lao Cai for the night train back to Hanoi..

Summary:

Transfer Thanh Phu – Sapa: 1-hour

Transfer Sapa – railway station: 1-hour

Trekking: 13 km - Introductory grade

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Soft sleeper in AC cabin

Day 6: Arrive in Hanoi. Trip completes

Arrive in Hanoi around 5 am. Free time or you may contact us to manage a transfer to airport or connect to your next adventures to Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia with Active Travel Asia.

Our trek Sapa in a long trail ends up Railway Station arrival.

Note on client safety

We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.

All tours are private. No joined-in, customized. No fixed dates. (except Amazing Thailand on Motorbike)You can customize to pick one or some most favorite sections.The price - if not customized - is fixed. No hidden cost, no surprised.We are full licensed operator and only work with similar legal status partners. It's adventurous, not riskyMany discounts available from May to Sep. Minimum surcharges on peak days (Xmas, New Year etc)Still questions?! Please contact usor email: info@activetravel.asia

What is Included

Round trip AC sleeper cabin on train

Road transfer two ways Lao Cai - Sapa

Road transfer one way in Hanoi

Professional trek English speaking guide

Meals as indicated in the itinerary

First-aid kit

Home stay permission

Entrance fee where applied

Water & Snacks

Entrance & sightseeing fees

Service charges and taxes

What is NOT Included

Travel insurance

Visa process and stamp

Tips and gratitude

Personal expenses

Others not mentioned

THIS ADVENTURE INFORMATION
Duration: 6 days, 6 nights
Depart from: Hanoi - End at: Hanoi
When: Year round see more Vietnam weather
Activities: Trekking, Culture Expedition
Transport: Train, AC vehicle, Jeep, on foot
Accommodation: 4 nights homestay & 2 nights train
Tour guide: trekking English speaking guide
Trekking grade: Challenging Gradethat means this trekking tour involve in active, physical required activities up to 06 – 08 hours per days in remote area, under variable weather conditions or quick attitude changes. You are going to get into remote areas where the support facilities are not always available or facing to passes or river crossing. You should be in very good level of fitness. For those biking or motorcycling adventure, experienced riders with good driving skills may be required.

All meals, which are indicated in the itinerary, are included in the price of this trip. On the trek and at the home stay our meals will be cooked by our tour guide. The emphasis will be on healthy and nutritious fresh local produce. Please inform us at the time of booking if you have any special dietary requirement.

On our tour, we use first class trains of King Express or Orient Train or similar. These trains all offer Superior and Deluxe cabins with clean, comfortable, air – conditioned sleeper. All trains are designed with 4 soft berths in each cabin and individual reading light. Warm blanket and tender pillow are provided.

Toilet is often located at the front of each carriage. The train transfer often takes place in 8 - 8,5 hours overnight, the carriage is slightly shaking while traveling. You often arrive in Lao Cai city at early morning then take car transfer for 1 hour (35 km) to Sapa town.

Road transfer (if requested)

The Highway Express connecting Hanoi - Lao cai launched in Sep 2014 and shorten the traveling time to 5.5 hours. This includes 4.5 hours, Hanoi - Lao cai city, 240km on good road conditions allowing speed from 70 - 100km/h, 01 stop for toilet and resting and 1 hour, Lao cai city - Sapa town, 35 km mountainous, twisting road. You often start from Hanoi at 7.30AM and arrive in Sapa at 1PM then lunch time.

The homestay

Homestay in villages is simple in term of bedding condition and amenities. We are going to spend homestay nights as traditional style by ethnics. That means our bedding areas are shared with other sleepers. You will have a private mattress, clean sheet, pillows and mosquito net.

Toilet and bathroom are seperated to the house and to each other. They are often few walks from the main house. Toilet is usually western style (water flushing), the bathroom has hot water running from a shower.

Our tour guide

The tour will be guided by one of our tour guides who are experienced in guiding trekking tours in Vietnam. He has been carefully trained in this field and is fully licensed in tour guiding by the government. In addition, he has been trained in first-aid by SOS International and he knows how to deal with difficult situations. You will have a great time traveling with him.

The transfers

In Hanoi, one ATA staff will accompany you to the train to show you your cabin and tell you how to deal with night train travelling in Vietnam.

In Lao Cai, our guide will meet you at Lao Cai Railway Station in the morning of the first day. He also sees you off at Lao Cai Railway Station on day 5.

When you get back to Hanoi on day 6, you can easily find a taxi to get to your hotel

The trekking day

A typical trekking day start at about 8.30 am after breakfast. Lunch times can vary depending on the terrain. Our guide will find nice stops, often near streams with big shadow for resting and picnic lunch. We aim to reach the next overnight stop by 4.30 or 5. During the trek we will have short breaks for rest, snack and photographing.

Note on client safety

We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions, frequency of visits to a village, or for any other factor which may influence client safety.